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Deserter is the journey of Ryan and Jen Johnson--a deserting soldier and his young wife--as they flee across the country to seek refugee status over the Canadian border. As they move from safe house to safe house, we get to know Ryan and Jen--two, shy, small-town kids from the Central Valley who joined the military because there were no jobs, and find they must make a heroic stand in order to escape an illegal and immoral war. Deserter is a political road movie with one of the few happy endings that this war has given us. Special Feature: Discussion with Amy Goodman and US Army Deserter Ryan Johnson at the North American premiere of Deserter. Awards and Festivals: * Official Selection: International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam * OVNI-Barcelona * Singapore International Film Festival * BeyondTV-UK * MountainTop Human Rights Film Festival Price:
14.95 USD

Against a tide of ignorance, isolation and cynicism, Big Noise Dispatches take you around the world to look war and crisis in the face, but also to witness a shared struggle for survival and dignity. Dispatches 01 collects 72 minutes of radical investigations, analysis and on the ground video from the Big Noise team working on four continents. Reconstructing Jihad: Israel's July War destroyed 130,000 homes and created 1 million refugees but failed to defeat Hezballah. The next phase of the struggle is Hezballah's race to rebuild its southern stronghold. (14 min) The Other Campaigns: Multibillionaire Carlos Slim and the guerrilla leader Subcomandante Marcos are facing off in the struggle between the Mexico above and the Mexico below. (15 min) Goldfinger: Big Noise and investigative reporter Greg Palast unmask “Vulture Funds”—debt speculators who are taking millions from the world's poorest countries. (12 min) World Bank Famine: 800,000 children face starvation in Niger, but activists say the famine is not caused by drought—it was caused by 20 years of structural adjustment programs. (5 min) It’s The Oil Stupid: Big Noise and investigative reporter Greg Palast meet with President Chavez in a look at Latin America's Oil Superpower and the “New Latin America.” (11 min) Mexican Election Fraud: Big Noise and investigative reporter Greg Palast uncover blatant fraud in the right wing's come-from-behind presidential victory. (15 min) Price:
14.95 USD

From the front lines in Iraq, to the legal lynching in Jena, LA, to the growth of a new poor people's movement in the streets of Philadelphia and Nashville -- Dispatches 02 takes you where the mainstream media cannot go. The Ghost Of Anbar: The US military is creating and funding Sunni militias in Iraq. Are they “freedom fighters,” or sectarian war criminals arming themselves for a Sunni-Shia civil war? (20 min) The Jena 6: Big Noise news report from the legal lynching in Jena LA, where six black students face life in prison for a schoolyard fight. (12 min) Homeless Power!: While the economy unravels and the gap widens between rich and poor, we look at the rise of a new poor people's movement in America. (12 min) Vulture Battle: Big Noise teams up once again with investigative reporter Greg Palast, following up on their report on debt speculators who are taking millions from the world's poorest countries. (10 min) Price:
14.95 USD

Wars crush our humanity. Defeats splinter our movements. Corporate media turns a blind eye to our mounting crises, and a cynical one to the people who stand up against them. Against a tide of ignorance, isolation and cynicism, Big Noise Dispatches take you around the world to look war and crisis in the face, but also to witness a shared struggle for survival and dignity. The Battle For Basra: An inside look at the battle between Iraq’s three largest Shiite parties over control of the city that taps most of Iraq’s oil wealth. (16 min) New Orleans: Man-Made Disaster: The hundreds who died here were not killed by the storm—they were left for days to drown as floodwaters rose around them. And today, the storm isn't what's keeping most of the city's former residents from returning home. (26 min) Iran: Elections Under Threat: A unique glimpse into the political dynamics of the struggles for participation and democracy in a nation facing increasing economic and military threats from the United States. (21 min) Chevron/Texaco Vs. The Rainforest: Big Noise teams up with investigative journalist Greg Palast, traveling into Ecuador's Amazon rainforest to take a look at the biggest environmental case in history. (13 min) Winter Soldier: 5 years into the war in Iraq, there is no end in sight. 200 US soldiers meet outside of Washington DC, sharing first-hand accounts of the war on the ground and the growing GI resistance movement. (30 min) Price:
14.95 USD

Ground breaking reports from the turmoil in Iraq to convention protests and election fraud in the US. The reports from Iraq were made with the support of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and originally aired on Al Jazeera English. Beyond the Wall: Inside the Sadr Movement in Iraq. After a US and Iraqi military campaign, the armed Shiite resistance melted away from the street. We go behind the wall is Sadr City to discover the fate of the Mehdi Army, and the state of the fight for Iraq’s future. (21 min) Re-Awakening Saddam’s Tribal Strategy: The US is reconstituting the tribal elite Saddam used to run the country. But will it be able to maintain the delicate balance between the Sunni “Awakening” militias and the Shiite government? (21 min) The Detention Imperative: An Inside Look at the US Detention System in Iraq: Few American institutions affect the lives of ordinary Iraqis more directly and profoundly than the US detention system. But once Iraqis are swept up in the system, there is no clear way out. (21 min) Breaking with Convention: Quick, ragged clips produced for Democracy Now!'s daily coverage of the Democratic and Republican Conventions. (65 min) Election Suppression: Big Noise teams up with journalist Greg Palast on this BBC investigation of the suppression of the vote in the 2008 elections. (14min) Price:
14.95 USD

Wars crush our humanity. Defeats splinter our movements. Corporate media turns a blind eye to our mounting crises and a cynical one to the people who stand up against them. Against a tide of ignorance, isolation and cynicism, Big Noise Dispatches take you around the world to look war and crisis in the face, but also to witness a shared struggle for survival and dignity in this time of violence. Inside reporting from war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq; and domestic stories on the stepped up military recruitment of Latinos and the FBI’s use of paid informants to entrap Muslims. COIN's Last Stand: The Marjah offensive was supposed to demonstrate that victory is still possible in Afghanistan. Instead it has revealed a counterinsurgency campaign in crisis. (7 min) Enduring Presence: The U.S. celebrates the end of combat in Iraq, but has no plans to withdraw its thousands of Special Operations Forces and mercenaries or its “Enduring Presence Posts.” (5 min) Yo Soy El Army: The U.S. military is stepping up its recruitment of Latinos. Latinos enter into the lowest and most dangerous ranks, and have been disproportionately killed in America's latest wars. (26 min) Million Dollar Militia: Will America’s new tribal strategy in Afghanistan bring stability, or is it building “Million Dollar Tribal Militias” that will further undermine a weak Afghan state? (22 min) Entrapped: A Democracy Now! investigation with Anjali Kamat into the use of paid informants in high profile homegrown terror cases. Is the FBI foiling terror plots or targeting and entrapping Muslims in America? (34 min) Price:
14.95 USD

From the front-lines of conflicts in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Palestine, Korea, and the North; from Seattle to Genova, and the War on Terror in New York, Afghanistan, and Iraq, The Fourth World War is the story of men and women around the world who resist being annihilated in this war. While our airwaves are crowded with talk of a new world war, narrated by generals and filmed from the noses of bombs, the human story of this global conflict remains untold. The Fourth World War brings together the images and voices of the war on the ground. It is a story of a war without end and of those who resist. The product of over two years of filming on the inside of movements on five continents, The Fourth World War is a film that would have been unimaginable at any other moment in history. Directed by the makers of This Is What Democracy Looks Like and Zapatista, produced through a global network of independent media and activist groups, it is a truly global film from our global movement. Narrated by Michael Franti and Suheir Hammad. Reviews: A powerful, radical cry from the frontlines of the war on people. This film captures the spirit of resistance: it is as beautiful and global as humanity itself —Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine Inspirational. Essential. It documents the history of the future before it is born...and while we can still do something about it. —Peter Wintonick, POV Magazine A daring, courageous, heart-pounding intervention against empire. —Patricia Zimmermann, author of States of Emergency Price:
19.95 USD

This Is What Democracy Looks Like, a co-production of the IMC and Big Noise Films, weaves the footage of over 100 videographers into a gripping document of what really happened on Seattle’s streets. The film cuts through the confusion and tear gas to paint an intimate, passionate portrait of a week that changed the world. With narration by Susan Sarandon and Spearhead's Michael Franti, and with a driving soundtrack including Rage Against the Machine, DJ Shadow, DJ Musaka, and Company of Prophets, This Is What Democracy Looks Like is the first documentary to capture the raw energy of the WTO protests, while clarifying their global and historic significance. The Independent Media Center provided a production infrastructure for over 450 media activists during the WTO protests in November 1999. With autonomous, volunteer-run media centers operating in four continents, ten countries and twenty-one cities, the IMC represents a new and powerful emerging model for independent media. Special features include complete interviews with Subcomandante Marcos and Noam Chomsky, additional video shorts, action guide and photo slideshow. Reviews: A truly ground-breaking accomplishment! Beautiful, passionate, stunning...it embodies the spirit of the protests. —Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine Democracy is pepper spray to your cynicism. —San Francisco Examiner This documentary, like the protest, turns Art into Action. —The Village Voice Price:
19.95 USD

January 1, 1994. The day the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. A few minutes after midnight in Southeastern Mexico, several thousand Mayan soldiers take over half the state of Chiapas, declaring a war against the global corporate power they say rules Mexico. They call themselves the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). Zapatista is the definitive look at the uprising in Chiapas. It is the story of a Mayan peasant rebellion armed with sticks and their word against a first world military. It is the story of a global movement that has fought 175,000 federal troops to a stand still and transformed Mexican and international political culture forever. Narration by: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Darryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos and Geronimo Pratt. Featuring interviews with: Subcomandante Marcos, Noam Chomsky, Comandante Tacho, David and Zebedeo, Mayor Insurgente Ana Maria, Javier Elorriaga, Zach de la Rocha and more. Music by Rage Against the Machine. Special features include complete interviews with Subcomandante Marcos and Noam Chomsky, additional video shorts, action guide and photo slideshow. Reviews: The Reality seen through this camera is more real. —Subcomandante Marcos Price:
19.95 USD